Reading for Success

DRDG-0V92 - 081
Summer 2007

Instructor: Thomasina Hickmann

Email: hickmann@utdallas.edu
Phone: (972)883-6707
Office: MC2.406

Class Times and Location: Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00-5:15 in MC2.408

Office Hours: Thursday from 3:00-4:00

Required Textbooks: College Reading: Book 2 by Janet Maker and Minnette Lenier, 6th
edition. Thomson/Wadsworth, 2000.

The Official THEA Test Study Guide developed by National Evaluation Systems.
Amherst, 2004.

Course Description: ( 2 semester hours) A reading course that offers students the
opportunity to develop proficiency in reading comprehension, vocabulary development,
critical reasoning, study skills, and other reading skills necessary for success in academic
and career advancement. The course emphasizes learning how to learn and includes
reading/learning experiences designed to strengthen the total educational background of
each student. This developmental course cannot be used for degree credit.

Course Objectives: Students will:

1. Expand vocabulary skills

2. Understand the main idea and supporting details in written material
3. Identify a writer’s purpose, point of view, and intended meaning
4. Analyze the relationship among ideas in written material
5. Use critical reasoning skills to evaluate written material
6. Apply study skills to reading assignments
7. Develop the relevant skills necessary to perform satisfactorily on the Texas
Higher Education Assessment (THEA)

NOTE: Please be advised that this syllabus is subject to change.

Attendance and Participation Policy

Prompt and regular attendance is expected of every student. If your enrollment at the
University of Texas at Dallas depends upon your attendance in this class, your attendance
is mandatory, as stated in the contract you have signed. There are no excused absences.
In case of an emergency absence, you must make up any missed work within one week.
This arrangement is subject to your providing official documentation that explains the
nature of the emergency, such as a letter from a doctor in the case of a medical issue or a
funeral program/announcement in the case of a family death. Without the proper
documentation, your absence will jeopardize your enrollment at the university.

If you are consistently late to class, this will negatively affect your attendance record
and also jeopardize your enrollment at the university.

If you pass the THEA and no longer choose to attend the class, you must consult
with me immediately to find out what your options are. For example, you may be
obliged to continue attending the class in order to maintain your enrollment status at the
university.

For those students who are NOT subject to the university’s THEA policy: You are
responsible for all work missed due to an absence from class. Your final grade, however,
may be lowered after three unexcused absences. If you choose not to attend class once
you are enrolled, you must withdraw from the course to avoid receiving a final grade of
“F.” The deadlines for withdrawal are published in each semester's course catalog.

NOTE: Depending on your skill level, you may need more than one semester of
developmental coursework to pass the relevant portion of the THEA.

Course Requirements and Grade Evaluation

Your final grade for the course will be based on the following:

Assigned Exercises = 20%

Test 1 = 20%

Test 2 = 20%

Book Report = 20%

Final Exam = 20%

Grading Scale
 A+ 97-100 C 73-76

A 93-96 C- 70-72

A- 90-92 D+ 67-69

B+ 87-89 D 63-66

B 83-86 D- 60-62

B- 80-82 F 0-59

C+ 77-79

Assignments

To prepare for class, complete the readings and the relevant exercises before the date on
which the material has been assigned for class discussion. Written exercises will be
assigned throughout the semester and, for the most part, will be taken from College
Reading. Late assignments will be docked one letter grade, but, if the work is turned in
more than one week after the due date, it will not be accepted.

Tests and Exams

The tests as well as the Final Exam will serve as useful preparation for the reading
portion of the THEA test and for the kind of academic assignments that you will be given
in college.

You cannot make up a missed test or exam except in the case of an emergency
absence that is officially documented. See the attendance policy on the previous page.

Helpful Online Resources: For information about writing assignments, grammar, and
mechanics, go to

owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html or www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts

To consult the Merriman-Webster Dictionary or Thesaurus, go to www.m-w.com

Student Conduct and Discipline: The University of Texas System and The University
of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their
business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD
publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic
year. The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the
procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and
described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas
System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities of the university's Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules
and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff
members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU
1.602, 972/883-6391).

Email Use: The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of
communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same
time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in
an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence
be sent only to a student's U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider
email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows
the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of each individual
corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each
student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a
method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Academic Integrity: The university expects all students to maintain a high level of
responsibility with respect to academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree
depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related
to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one's
own work or material that is not one's own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty
involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying
academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary
proceedings.

SECTION 49.36 SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY

(d) Cheating includes, but is not limited to
 (1) copying from another student's test paper, laboratory report, other report,
or computer files, data listings, and/or programs or engaging in conduct
that facilitates such conduct by another student.
(2) using during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the
test;
(3) failing to comply with instructions given by the person administering the
test which would include, but not be limited to, time restrictions, use of
blue book, seating arrangements;
(4) collaborating with or seeking aid from or giving aid to another student
during a test;
(5) knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in
whole or in part the contents of an unadministered test, test key,
homework solutions, or computer program;
(6) substituting for another student, or permitting another person to
substitute for oneself, to take a test;
(7) soliciting another person to obtain an unadministered test or information
about an unadministered test;
(8) discussing the contents of an examination with another student who will
take the examination;
(9) possession during a test of materials that are not authorized by the
person giving the test, such as class notes or specifically designed "crib
notes." The presence of textbooks constitutes a violation only if they
have been specifically prohibited by the person administering the test.
(10) submission of substantial portions of the same academic work for credit
(including oral reports) more than once without written authorization
from the instructor.
(e) Plagiarism means the appropriation, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining
by any means another's work and the submission or incorporation of that work in one's
own written work offered for credit without appropriate attribution.
(f) Collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in
preparing academic assignments offered for credit.
(g) Falsifying academic records means the altering of grades or other falsification
(statements, acts or omissions) of academic records including but not limited to the
application for admission, grade reports, test papers, registration materials, and reporting
forms used by the registrar's office or other university offices.
(h) Falsifying data or experiments includes, but is not limited to, the submission
of false findings and/or the citation of false references in research or other assignments
submitted for credit and/or for the awarding of a degree.

Disability Services: The University of Texas at Dallas is on record as being committed

to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law
92-112 - The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal
legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same
opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to

students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student
responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and
in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.
Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic
accommodations can be found at: www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/hcsvc.html. Please visit
the office of Disability Services in Student Union (1.610) or call at 972.883.2098 to
obtain proper paperwork for this class.

Religious Holy Days: The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class
or other required activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a
religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax
Code, Texas Code Annotated. The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or
activity sponsor
as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The
student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a
maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed
exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to
complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing
grade for that exam or assignment.

Class Schedule
Week 1 – 1/09-1/11 Introduction to the course
Discussion of Chapter 4 in the THEA Guide

Week 2 - 1/16-1/18 Discussion of Unit 1 (pp. 2-12) in College Reading

and of Chapter 5 in the THEA Guide

Week 3 – 1/23-1/25 Discussion of Unit 1 (pp. 12-21) and of Reading 1

in College Reading.

Week 4 – 1/30-2/01 Discussion of Readings 4 and 5 in College Reading

Week 5 – 2/06-2/08 Discussion of Reading 6 in College Reading

Test 1 - Thursday, February 8th

Week 6 – 2/13-2/15 Discussion of Reading 9 in College Reading and of

Chapter 6 in the THEA Guide

Week 7 – 2/20-2/22 Discussion of Reading 10 in College Reading and of

Chapter 7 in the THEA Guide

Week 8 – 2/27-3/01 Exam Review

Midterm Exam – Thursday, March 1st

Week 9 – 3/05-3/10 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASSES

Week 10 – 3/13-3/15 Discussion of Chapters 8 and 9 in the THEA Guide

and of Reading 11 in College Reading

Week 11 – 3/20-3/22 Discussion of Readings 12 and 14 in College Reading

Week 12 – 3/27-3/29 Discussion of Reading 16 in College Reading

Test 2 – Thursday, March 29th

Week 13 – 4/03-4/05 Discussion of Readings 19 and 20 in College Reading

Week 14 – 4/10-4/12 Discussion of Readings 23 and 24 in College Reading

Week 15 – 4/17-4/19 Discussion of Readings 25 and 26 in College Reading

Week 16 Final Exam - Tuesday, April 24th, at 11:00am